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Open 10:00 to 5:00
Appt required? No
Last barlinwine.com visit: 2011
Directions:
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Tasting:
The tasting room is large, with a long, copper-topped bar (and padded red bar stools) that can comfortably fit 12 or more guests. Tastings options were a standard taste of their base Mauritson wines, a Zinfandel flight of (the Mauritson Dry Creek Zin and 3 Rockpile Zins), or a larger tasting allowing you to choose any 5 wines off the list. Naturally, I chose the large tasting! And just to make sure I could try as much as possible, my wife shared her Zinfandel tasting flight with me.
I started the tasting with their Charlie Clay Pinot Noir (a collaboration with chef Charlie Palmer), moved on to a Grower's Reserve Zinfandel (a "zinfandel made like a cabernet"), worked in all four of Steph's zinfandels, and finished with a Malbec, Syrah, Malbec, "Buck Pasture" red blend, and finally their Petite Syrah. Needless to say, there was more than enough wine to go around here.
Everything was solid, highlighted for me by the Grower's Reserve Zinfandel. The folks in the tasting room are always friendly, laid-back, and generous with the wine. Two yellow labs round out the welcoming committee and make Mauritson one of the friendliest stops in the valley. With a purchase, neither of us was charged for tasting. We capped off our visit with lunch outside, enjoying a sandwich from the Dry Creek General Store while lounging in some of the numerous wooden Adirondack chairs.
The tasting room is large, with a long, copper-topped bar (and padded red bar stools) that can comfortably fit 12 or more guests. Tastings options were a standard taste of their base Mauritson wines, a Zinfandel flight of (the Mauritson Dry Creek Zin and 3 Rockpile Zins), or a larger tasting allowing you to choose any 5 wines off the list. Naturally, I chose the large tasting! And just to make sure I could try as much as possible, my wife shared her Zinfandel tasting flight with me.I started the tasting with their Charlie Clay Pinot Noir (a collaboration with chef Charlie Palmer), moved on to a Grower's Reserve Zinfandel (a "zinfandel made like a cabernet"), worked in all four of Steph's zinfandels, and finished with a Malbec, Syrah, Malbec, "Buck Pasture" red blend, and finally their Petite Syrah. Needless to say, there was more than enough wine to go around here.
Recommended wine: As mentioned above, the Grower's Reserve Zinfandel was the highlight for me, although I also liked many of the zins (particularly the Rockpile Cemetery Vineyard Zin and the Mauritson Zin) as well as the Petite Syrah. The Pinot Noir was strong, as was the Syrah. The Malbec was good, but it can't compete with Mendozan Malbec.
Ratings (out of 5):
 WINE | 4.25 |  TASTING ROOM | 4.50 |
 ATMOSPHERE | 5.00 |  VALUE | 4.25 |
 OVERALL | 4.50 | ||
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